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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum
Published on: December 4, 2015
Hemoglobin serves to protect Plasmodium parasites from nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species
Peter Sobolewski1, Irene Gramaglia, John A Frangos
1La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
Our understanding of how the host immune response kills Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, is limited and controversial. One widely held belief is that reactive oxygen species are crucial for controlling parasite replication. One of the hallmarks of blood-stage malaria is the cyclic rupture of erythrocytes by the parasite, which releases free hemoglobin into the circulation. We propose that this free hemoglobin, as well as the hemoglobin within the erythrocyte and surrounding the parasite, effectively shields Plasmodium from reactive oxygen species well in excess of those achievable in vivo.
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